Coffee and capital

U.S. aid agency and Texas A&M are helping farmers in Rwanda increase their standard of living

By JENALIA MORENO
Houston Chronicle

COLLEGE STATION — When the fighting came to Gemima Mukashyaka's Rwandan village in 1994, she happened to be away visiting her aunt.

Her mother and nine of her siblings were among the 800,000 killed in the nation's genocide.

When the conflict ended, the then 16-year-old turned to her parent's coffee trees to eke out a living for herself, her two younger sisters and her two sons.

In 2000, Mukashyaka and 1,684 farmers united their tiny coffee plantations and formed a cooperative that received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and help from Texas A&M's Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture.

These small-scale farmers were soon recovering economically from the effects of the war by marketing their beans internationally and taking courses in coffee cupping, or taste-tasting, to help identify quality.

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Opening a New Café, or Want to Vastly Improve Your Coffeehouse?

Are You Considering Opening a New Café, or Want to Vastly Improve Your Coffeehouse Business?

Presented in conjunction with Coffee Chicago, the “Specialty Coffee Business Seminar” is designed to ensure your “expertise” from the moment you open your doors.
There is no other specialty coffee seminar in America that provides the knowledge and professional experience as you will find in the presenters of this seminar, who combined, offer over 45 years experience in the specialty coffee industry.

The Specialty Coffee Business Seminar is limited to 50 people. Over 2,000 entrepreneurs have completed this course since 1994.

Who Should Attend?
• Entrepreneur-minded people considering the benefits of entering the specialty coffee business.• Every espresso business owner that desires to improve their quality, volume and the bottom line.

You'll Learn To:
• Identify the dream location
• Develop and write your business plan
• Negotiate a favorable lease
• Hire, train and keep your baristas
• Select your equipment and coffee
• Extract perfect espresso consistently

Specialty Coffee Business Seminar Registration Includes:
• Personal relationship with key note presenters.
• Comprehensive Workbook
• Hands on Espresso Extraction training (5 Hours)
• Course Certificate of Completion
• Three day pass to Coffee Fest trade show

Hours: February 23-25, 2007

8:00 am – 6:30 pm Friday - 8:00 am – 6:30 pm Saturday - 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Sunday

Find out why previous seminar students say, “No one should go into this business without first attending Coffee Fest's Specialty Coffee Business Seminar!”

$795 per person – pre-registration required. For more information, visit our web site at www.coffeefest.com or call David Heilbrunn at 800-232-0083 ext 13.

Two cups of coffee can halve post workout soreness

By ANI
Wednesday January 10, 11:51 AM

Washington, Jan 10 (ANI): A new study conducted by UGA has revealed that caffeine can help reduce the post-workout soreness that discourages some people from exercising.

A team of Georgia researchers found that moderate doses of caffeine equivalent to two cups of coffee, reduced post workout pain by up to 48 percent.

Lead author Victor Maridakis, a researcher in the department of kinesiology at the UGA College of Education, said the results may be chiefly significant to people new to exercise, since they tend to experience the most soreness.

"If you can use caffeine to reduce the pain, it may make it easier to transition from that first week into a much longer exercise program," he said.

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Brazil Coffee Exports to Fall 11% as Output Drops (Update1)

By Carlos Caminada

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Brazilian coffee exports will fall 11 percent this year as growers harvest fewer beans and inventories decline.

Brazil, the world's biggest producer of the bean, will export 21.7 million bags of coffee, compared with an estimated 24.4 million bags in 2006, the Coffee Exporters Council said today in a report.

The decline in exports, fueled by a drop in output and inventories, will likely drive futures for Arabica beans above $1.30 per pound in New York in coming months, said Eduardo Carvalhaes of coffee exporter Escritorio Carvalhaes.

``We are entering a year of a precarious balance between production and demand,'' Carvalhaes, whose family has exported coffee for more than a century, said in a telephone interview from Santos, Brazil. ``Brazilian production and stockpiles are dwindling at the same time.''

Arabica futures gained 17 percent on the New York Board of Trade over the past three months after dry weather hindered the flowering of trees in Brazil last year. They rose 2.35 cents, or 2 percent, to $1.2075 per pound in New York today.

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The Hunt Is On For The UK’s BEST BARISTA!

London: The UKBC (UK Barista Championship) will be holding regional Barista Championships throughout the UK in January and February 2007

The exciting and much anticipated events will determine the barista who will represent their region in the UK final and, if successful, compete in the World Barista Championship (WBC) in Tokyo.

Searching for the ultimate coffee experience is precisely what the World Barista Championships is all about. Quite simply, we want to put the very best barista talent to the test to discover people at the height of their powers in mastering their craft.

The events, organised by the UKBC and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), will be hosted by members of the SCAE and offer local baristi the opportunity to meet the UK’s premier baristi, try the latest equipment and share their knowledge with each other. Sponsors of the event supply the necessary support and equipment to ensure the events are as successful as possible.

John Sherwood, Executive Coordinator of the UKBC comments:

“Barista competitions are hugely important within the coffee community. The objective of the UKBC and the umbrella WBC is to grow the Barista's knowledge of, and expertise in, the preparation and serving of specialty, espresso coffee through competitions. These events enable this to happen. They are also a fantastic opportunity for baristi to get together in a fun and competitive environment, to share tips and experiences and therefore help to build a wider, global barista community.”

The specialty coffee industry has experienced huge growth in the past 5 years, with Barista Championships taking place in 38 countries around the World in 2007. The champion barista from each of these countries will be competing in Tokyo in August 2007 for the chance to be crowned World Barista Champion, a much coveted title currently held by Klaus Thomsen of Denmark.

To find out more about the UK Barista Championship and how to enter the forthcoming competitions visit www.ukbaristachampionship.co.uk.

Something's Brewing: Roast Your Coffee At Home

by Frank Vascellaro

(WCCO) It was Vice President Thomas Riley Marshall who proclaimed in 1917, "What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar."

If Vice President Marshall was alive today, he'd probably wonder what happened to the 25-cent cup of coffee.

Just as dumbstruck are a growing legion of coffee lovers who refuse to pay retail (as much as $3 a cup) for gourmet coffee at nationwide chains.

Jerry Abrams is one of them. He found resources on the Internet where he regularly buys raw, green coffee beans and roasts, grinds and brews them at home.

Dean Cycon is not only a coffee aficionado, he's an entrepreneur who owns his own beanery -- Dean's Beans in Orange, Mass.

"A year ago, we didn't sell any [raw beans] and now we're selling hundreds of pounds a week," he said.

For some people, home roasting is a hobby -- almost akin to home winemaking or beer brewing. But for others, it boils down to personal choice. Armed with a magna cum latte education, they pick their favorite beans from around the world, choose roast times and set their own standards for what is a light-, medium- or bold-roast.

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iMIX Silver Series™ from BUNN

-- A Cost-Effective Alternative for Superior Hot Powdered Beverages

With the expansion of the iMIX line of advanced hot powdered beverage dispensers, BUNN adds the Silver Series™ and Silver Series Plus™ models, providing an iMIX option for every operator’s needs. iMIX models include 3- or 5-flavor dispensers that incorporate sleek styling and simple operation, available at a range of prices.

The iMIX Silver Series can dispense up to 68, 12-ounce (355 ml) hot powdered beverages per half hour. Available with three or five, 8-pound (3.6 kg) hoppers, the iMIX Silver Series has large, lighted front graphics for merchandising and either a 4.4-gallon (16.7L) or 7-gallon (26.5L) hot water tank to meet peak serving times. Push-and-hold dispense buttons and large flavor labels make it easy for customers to serve themselves delicious beverages like hot chocolate, cappuccino, French Vanilla coffee, or chai. Both models have 7.25” (18.4 cm) cup clearance and variable speed motors that allow control of product consistency in the mixing chamber at a rate of .75 to 6.6 grams of powder per second.

The three- or five-flavor iMIX Silver Series Plus models incorporate all the features of the iMIX Silver Series; in addition, these models can be converted easily to dispense as a single size portion-control unit for self-serve. For added functionality and ease of service, the iMIX Silver Series Plus models also have an alphanumeric display, programmable advertising and service modes, and can display units in standard or metric measures.

The iMIX Silver Series and Silver Series Plus has a high speed, heavy-duty whipper assuring complete product mixing. Large, lighted front graphics enhance merchandising of the wide variety of beverages that can be dispensed.

Key service components, easily accessible through front and top of the dispenser and side panel, are easy to remove for complete access to service components.

For more information, visit www.bunn.com or call 1-800-637-8606 (outside U.S. +1-217-529-6601).